Superfly

Superfly certainly looks good, but it suffers from its inhuman attempts to appeal and frustrating story line

It is difficult to not prejudge a remake film directed by a man who calls himself ‘Director X’. Known almost solely for his music videos, Director X has set out to bring 1972’s Super Fly to a modern day, coked up audience, looking to really hit home with the violent gang culture and never ending materialistic notions.

Priest (Trevor Jackson) is a powerful drug lord living in Atlanta, epitomised by his low profile. Desperate to get out of the game and retire, he looks to step up production during his last days of leadership and makes a final push for riches. As he begins to undercut those close to him, and trust others more than he should, cracks start to show in Priest’s operation leaving him exposed to all sorts of terrible threats.

It’s painstakingly obvious how much music influences the work of Director X. By only producing music videos until 2015, he clearly still hasn’t altered his mindset to directing feature films, making Superfly feel like an elongated high-budget music piece. Often filled with money, cars and guns, this does not work as a fully-fledged production, and glares evidently in every single one of Superfly’s money-orientated scenes. Characters will always be the interest in a film, whatever it’s about, and no number of top quality cars will replace that.

Jackson’s performance as Priest is good enough to provide interest, in part, but not enough to exaggerate or excite. Most of what makes thrillers and semi-violent films interesting is missing from Superfly, leaving it exposed to critique and failure, and this has to be pinned on the director.

Superfly certainly looks good, but it suffers from its inhuman attempts to appeal and frustrating story line. Without growing, changing or asserting its characters, the plot falls flat, and piling on the bullets and top speeds offers nothing but empty filler moments. Its materialism at its absolute worst.